


Earth and Fire

by avulle



Series: Earth and Fire [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-08
Updated: 2015-08-29
Packaged: 2018-04-13 17:14:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 14,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4530348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avulle/pseuds/avulle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of vaguely consistent drabbles revolving around Toph and Azula in modern England.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No

**Author's Note:**

> This series was written primarily as a challenge to myself to write one chapter of a story a day. With the exception of a couple chapters that were egregiously bad, everything I wrote I published. Expect wildly inconsistent quality as a result.
> 
> This story is now complete. It may or may not be updated sporadically in the future.

 “No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“ _Yes_.”

Golden eyes meet milky green.

“No.”

There is a long moment of silence, golden eyes staring unblinkingly into green, before—

“But have you considered—”

The woman with green eyes leans forward, pressing her forehead to the other woman’s.

“Yes?”

Pale hands, with meticulously manicured fingernails painted a deep red, settle on a thick waist.

Deep red lips curl into a smile.

“No.”

There is another long moment of silence as before the green-eyes woman slumps with a deep and piteous moan, burying her face in the neck of her companion.

“You’re the worst,” she complains, lips brushing against the bare skin of her partner’s neck.

“Oh, believe me,” her companion responds, drumming her fingers against her partner’s waist, “I am aware.”

There is a long moment of silence as the green-eyed woman puts progressively more and more of her weight on her companion.

“Is this a thing we’re doing?” her companion asks as she shifts her weight backwards, bending her knees slightly.

“Yes,” the green-eyed woman responds. “Yes, this is definitely a thing that we’re doing.”

There is another long moment of silence before the golden eyed woman’s smile turns into a smirk, and she says—

“Okay.”

With a single motion, she sweeps her partner off of the ground, and into her arms.

“Did you really think I couldn’t carry you?” she asks with a smirk her partner cannot appreciate.

“I’m blind,” the woman cries out in favor of answering, hands accidentally-on-purpose slapping into her partner’s face. “Someone save me.”

The golden-eyed woman twitches as blundering hands bat lightly into her face.

It happens once, twice, three more times, and then—

“Okay, I’m done.”

She lowers her hands, and her partner tumbles to the ground.

The green-eyed woman crashes into the concrete with a muffled “Oof,” followed rapidly by a piteous “ _Azula_.”

“ _Toph_ ,” comes the completely unsympathetic reply.

“I’m blind.”

“Do you want to know how tempted I am to kick you right now?” Azula asks with a smile, tapping her high heels against the concrete beside where her companion lies, face first.

“You would kick the _disabled_?”

“I would _relish_ in it.”

There is a moment of not-quite-silence as the eleven thirty classes let out all around them, and the people stopping to stare at them begin to accumulate.

“Eh,” Toph finally says, squirming against the concrete that conforms just a bit-too-much to her form. “I’ll survive.”

Azula leans back and surveys the gathering crowd for a moment before straightening again.

“Why can’t they ever make concrete beds?” Toph grumbles into the sidewalk. “Stupid sighted nonbenders—”

With a smirk, Azula lifts her left foot over Toph’s prone form, and wriggles her foot until her heel hangs from her toes.

“Don’t understand the beauty of—hey!”

Toph is interrupted by a high heel to the ass.

Azula smirks victoriously as Toph jolts up and glares daggers at Azula.

Then Toph smiles, and gropes blindly beside her for the high heel.

“Yeah, I’m not giving this back.”

Azula’s smirk dies a sudden and violent death.

“Yes you are.”

Toph smiles as she rises smoothly to her feet.

“Nope.”

“Yes.”

“Nope.”

Azula narrows her eyes.

“You’re right,” Toph agrees, tossing Azula’s high heel high into the air above her. “This is a fun game.”

“Give me back my high heel.”

“What high heel,” Toph says with a smirk, spreading her hands before her.

Azula pauses, and then looks up with a frown.

It is floating above them, silently spinning on nothing.

“Turns out there’s concrete in your high heel, Azula.”

There’s a moment of silence, before Azula drops her gaze back to Toph.

“Never knew you were so cheap,” she adds with a smirk.

“I’m not cheap,” Azula responds automatically before turning her gaze up to frown at her high heel again.

Then—

“That’s dangerous.”

Toph’s smirk fades.

“Yeah,” she agrees with a sigh, leaning back and catching the high heel as it falls before her.

She holds out to Azula, who takes it from her hand, leans down to slip it back on.

“You’d have to be me to notice, of course.”

“Of course,” Azula agrees with a smirking mutter, straightening once more.

“And I probably couldn’t pull your feet out from under you.”

Azula glances down at her feet with a displeased scowl.

“But I could probably trip you,” Toph ends with a pleased smile.

“Don’t.”

“I think I will.”

“Don’t.”

Toph’s bare toes squirm on the concrete beneath her, and the concrete around her feet ripples.

“Do you know how fireproof people don’t bother making clothing anymore?”

Toph blinks in surprise.

“Are you threatening the blind, Azula?”

“No, that doesn’t sound like me.”

Toph snorts, kicking her toes into the ground, before taking a step forward to rest her hand on Azula’s forearm.

“Nah,” she agrees.

“That doesn’t sound like you at all.”


	2. Bed

 "Azula."

"Toph."

"Azula. "

"Toph."

" _Azula_."

Azula turns to lean against the wall, stretches her legs out before her, and smiles.

" _Toph_."

"Did you get me a concrete bed?"

"How long did it take you to notice?" Azula asks instead of answering, leaning her head into her phone and glancing down to examine her nails.

"That's not important," Toph immediately responds, and Azula smirks vaguely as she props her phone against her shoulder and runs her thumb along the middle nail of her left hand.

"I think it's of paramount importance, actually," she says airily, plucking a nail file from the depths of her purse before hanging it back on her shoulder. "My money's on at least an hour."

There's a pause as she begins to run the nail file along the bur in her middle nail.

"And I have a _lot_ of money."

"It's bigger than my door, Azula."

Azula pauses in her filing, twisting her head as far as she can without dropping her point before nodding to herself and resuming her filing.

"Contrary to popular belief," Azula says, "you are not the only earthbender in London. "

Toph harumphs at the phone, and Azula smiles.

After a moment—

"How did you even get in here?"

"I hired someone, of course," Azula declares regally, doing her best to lift her nose in the air without dropping her phone or losing sight of the file running along what is now her pinky nail.

"You hired someone to break into my house."

"I hired someone to impersonate your relatives and convince the landlord to give them a key."

"That's the same thing."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

"No it's not."

There is another long moment of silence, and Azula shifts her phone from her right ear to her left before switching hands.

"My relatives shouldn't be able to get in here," Toph finally says.

Azula hums in response.

"Yes, I'd advice moving. Your landlord is really quite awful."

Azula pauses in her filing, lifting her fingers to admire her work.

"I was tempted to bribe him. I'm fairly certain he would have taken it."

Toph coughs a weak laugh into the phone before pushing herself off of the counter.

She lays herself down on the bed with a sigh.

"Where did you get this?" she sighs as she slides her fingers across the surface.

"It's a block of concrete," Azula replies dryly as Toph rolls further onto the bed.

"It really wasn't that hard."

" _Liar_ ," Toph whispers, spreading herself out across the surface.

"This is earthbender stone."

She makes an almost-moan as she continues to wriggle into it.

"You're an earthbender. It is a stone.” The faint sound of metal on keratin sounds over the phone.

“I fail to see what’s so special, here.”

Toph coughs out another laugh and pulls the phone from her ear.

"Mu--Contac--" it murmurs as she swipes her finger across the screen.

"Speaker."

Toph double taps the screen before tossing the phone into the air before her.

"Can you still hear me?"

"Unfortunately."

Toph squirms herself into a more comfortable position, running her fingers over the surface once more.

“You’re so full of shit, Azula,” she sighs happily, still squirming her way across the massive surface of the bed.

There’s a pause as Toph makes contented noises into the air before finally settling and opening her blind eyes to where her phone floats above her.

She blows at it, and it spins.

“That’s obnoxious, stop that,” comes the immediate response.

Toph blows again.

“No.”

Azula sighs into the phone, returning her file to her purse and shifting to hold her phone with her right hand.

“Noooooooo,” Toph continues to sing-song as Azula stretches her shoulders back out.

“Yes, if you’re quite finished—”

“Say, what did you do with my old bed?”

Azula pauses,mid-stretch.

“I’ll have you know my mother got that for me.”

Azula coughs out a laugh before finishing her stretch and settling back against the wall.

“So do you want me to light it on fire, or would you rather do it yourself?”

Toph hums.

There’s a moment’s pause before she makes a happy noise and proudly declares—

“You can do it—”

She takes a deep breath.

“But I want to watch.”

Azula blinks.

“Get it?”

“No.”

“It’s funny—”

“It’s not.”

Toph makes a piteous, sad noise, and Azula smirks.

“Hey, Azula,” Toph says after a long moment of silence.

“No.”

“This bed is so _big_ ,” Toph continues regardless. “Just—”

“No.”

“ _So big_.”

“I refuse.”

“It seems like a shame to keep it all to myself.”

“I’m not going to sleep on a rock.”

Azula pauses for a moment, before continuing—

“Ever.”

“Come on—” Toph wheedles, rolling onto her stomach and kicking her feet childishly at the surface of the bed.

“I’ll make it soft.”

She kicks at the bed some more.

“Just for you.”

“Like dirt?”

“Yeah!” Toph smiles. “Like dirt!”

“I’d rather die.”

Toph lets her head fall to the concrete before her, and moans out her disappointment.

“You’re the worst.”

“That’s a price I’m willing to pay.”

A pause.

“For not sleeping on dirt.”

Another pause.

“Ever.”

“Stupid firebender,” Toph grumbles into the hard concrete she has pressed her face into.

“Doesn’t understand—”

“Are you finished?”

“No,” Toph says petulantly. “I still want to see you light my old bed on fire.”

“It sounds like you’re destined for a lifetime of disappointment.”

There’s another long moment of silence.

“This might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever gotten for me,” Toph finally comments, rolling around again.

There is a long pause on the other end of the line.

"Remind me to find some frivolous lawsuits to file against your parents," Azula finally responds.

Toph smiles.

“No.”

Azula snorts in displeasure, but doesn’t protest.

“So Azula.”

“So Toph.”

“Wanna come over?”

“Not particularly.”

“Come over anyways.”

Azula makes a noncommittal noise, and leaning her cheek against her phone.

“Only if you clean, first,” she says, examining, her nails, once again.

“I’ll make sure it’s spotless.”

She blows at them aimlessly, and smoke curls around them before wafting into the air.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

Azula smiles.

“Okay.”


	3. Sofa

 “Hey Azula.”

“Hello, Toph.”

Toph smiles, and takes a step back.

Azula takes a step forward.

“How’s it goin’?”

Azula shrugs, toeing her heels from her feet and then pushing them to the side.

“Well.”

She takes another step forward.

“How about you?”

Toph shrugs, closing the door behind her.

“Good.”

Azula nods, and then brushes past her, sweeping into the main living area.

“You didn’t clean,” she says dryly, toeing a discarded undergarment.

“It looks spotless to me,” Toph yells out from behind her with a cackle.

Azula pauses, panty still hanging from her outstretched toe.

Then she grimaces, and flicks it behind the sofa.

“How long have you been waiting to say that?”

“My entire life,” Toph says from behind her with a smirk, right hand reaching for Azula’s left.

Azula half-turns, and offers her hand without dropping her mildly disgusted glare.

She opens her mouth, but the only sound that comes from it is an aggravated sigh.

“This place is disgusting,” she finally says.

“This place is made entirely of concrete,” Toph counters blithely, taking another step closer and curling her fingers around Azula’s forearm.

“I will hire you a maid.” Azula rests her right hand on Toph’s. “Just so I never have to be treated to the sight of this monstrosity ever again.”

Toph makes a rude noise in the back of her throat, turning to tug Azula towards the sofa.

“I’d rather not ever let anyone in here ever,” Toph says, still dragging Azula along behind her.

Azula pauses mid-step behind her, but Toph continues regardless, causing Azula's stockinged feet to slide soundly across the concrete beneath her.

“But if you want to offer your services—”

“I’m not cleaning this monstrosity,” Azula interrupts, walking of her own power again.

“Or anything.”

She nudges a piece of clothing out of her path.

“Ever.”

Toph coughs out a laugh before releasing Azula and sprawling herself across the sofa.

“I don’t clean,” Azula finishes unnecessarily as Toph stretches her hands above her and makes inappropriate noises.

"That's what servants are for."

Toph snorts, opening her eyes to not-quite-look at Azula.

"What."

"Nothing."

"You had servants," Azula counters. "I know you had servants."

"We did not have servants. We had help."

Azula makes an irritated noise at the back of her throat.

"That's the same thing."

"It's not, though."

Azula makes another irritated noise, and Toph stretches out a toe to deftly grasp Azula's shirt.

“I’m also not sitting on that couch.”

Toph raises an eyebrow, curling her toe in Azula’s shirt.

“You’ve sat on this couch like a hundred times before.”

“That is a blatant lie,” Azula counters, taking another step towards the sofa while scowling disapprovingly at it.

“You say this every time.”

“There are new stains on this couch, Toph.”

Toph twists, as if to look at the cushions.

“I don’t see any new stains on this couch.”

Azula makes an aggravated noise.

“Oh, come on, Azula,” she says, pulling harder at Azula's shirt.

“They’re not sex stains, I promise.”

Azula makes a displeased noise, but allows herself to be tugged onto the couch.

“You can vet the maid yourself,” Azula offers.

Toph lifts her legs above Azula’s head and drops them heavily into her lap.

Azula settles her hands on top of Toph’s legs.

“You love this couch, admit it,” Toph wheedles, twisting a foot back to nudge at Azula’s side.

“I hate this couch,” Azula says, brushing Toph’s foot away. “I wish I had thought to dispose of it when I was—” she pauses, knocking Toph’s foot away when it arches towards her a second time, “—here last.”

“You mean when you broke in?”

“I wouldn’t say that, no.”

They sit in silence for a long moment, and Azula drums her perfectly manicured fingers against Toph’s exposed shins.

“No you don’t,” Toph finally says, arching her head just far enough off of the arm of the sofa to almost-meet Azula’s eyes.

Azula doesn’t bother to turn to meet them, keeping her gaze fixed firmly forward.

"You're right," she finally says, sliding her fingers aimlessly back and forth across Toph's shins, "I don't."

There is a long moment of silence.

"I still hate it, though," she says, turning her nose up and looking down her nose at the television in front of her.

"Every time I see it, I wish I could set it on fire."

Toph coughs out another laugh, and stretches languidly.

"Yeah," she finally agrees.

"But then when you come over, where would you sit?"

Azula hums absently, fingers still trailing across the bare skin of Toph's shins.

"I'm sure we'd think of something," she finally says.

Toph smiles at the ceiling, reaching down to brush at Azula's arms.

"Yeah?"

Azula shifts her right hand so Toph's hand lies along her forearm.

"Yeah."  


	4. Tea

 “Azula?”

“Toph.”

Azula raises her gaze from her silently steaming mug.

“Can’t sleep?”

Azula half-shrugs, turning her gaze back to her tea.

“I was in the mood for some tea,” she says not-quite-wearily.

Beneath her, the water in her mug begins to roil, and she pulls her hands away.

Toph watches her from the doorway for a long moment before entering the room.

“Cool,” she says as she approaches Azula.

Azula plucks a tea bag from the counter beside her and dips it into her mug.

“Get it,” Toph says as she reaches the counter.

“ _Cool_.”

Azula blinks, glancing up at Toph before returning her gaze to her mug.

“Do you want some tea?” she asks instead, curling her hands around her mug, once more.

Toph takes a step towards her, and sets her hand on the curve of Azula’s lower back.

Azula absently plucks at a collar her loose shirt doesn’t have, but doesn’t pull away.

“I’m good,” Toph finally answers, dipping her head down to smell Azula’s tea.

She takes a deep breath before frowning and turning her head up to face Azula.

“Hey,” she says.

“This isn’t my tea.”

Azula snorts and smiles faintly, raising one hand to weave its way through the steam coming off the top off her cup.

“Yes,” she comments dryly.

“I _had_ noticed.”

Toph raises her head and takes another step closer to Azula’s, reaching her fingers out to brush the ends of Azula’s fingers where they curl around her mug.

“What kind of tea is it?”

Azula pauses for a moment, staring at the darkening surface of her tea.

“Jasmine,” she finally says, leaning lightly against Toph’s front.

“It’s—”

She pauses, licking absently at her lips.

“A family favorite.”

Toph hums in response, dipping her head down to smell it again.

“Cool,” she says again, leaning her head towards Azula.

“No,” Azula responds, raising a hand and pushing Toph back half a step.

Toph chuckles under her breath, and leans against the counter.

“How long does it take to steep?”

Azula shrugs.

“You know, I’ve never bothered to find out?”

She leans over her tea and takes a deep breath.

“Until it’s brown?”

Toph snorts, pointing her blind gaze at the surface of the mug.

“Looks brown to me,” she says with a smirk.

Azula smiles.

“Yeah,” she agrees.

“Okay.”

Azula pulls her mug from the countertop and turns away.

“Good enough for me.”

Toph’s hand slides from Azula’s back, and she turns to rest it on the counter.

“I do so love seeing you in my clothes,” Toph comments as Azula leans over to drop her tea bag into the trash.

Azula turns to look at Toph over her shoulder.

“Who wouldn’t?”

Toph snorts out a laugh, turning to fully face the counter.

“You have an early morning tomorrow?” Toph asks the far wall.

“Not really.”

Azula returns her to the counter, leaning against it beside Toph.

“You?”

Toph shakes her head, blind eyes focused blankly on the corner of a cabinet across the kitchen.

“Not really.”

Azula hums in response, bringing her mug to her lips.

“What’s that tea taste like, anyway?”

“The bath water from a public bath in New Hampton.”

Toph snorts and itches her fingers vaguely as Azula’s mug.

It twitches in Azula’s hands and, after a moment, Azula acquiences.

Toph curls her hands around it before bringing it to her lips.

“Yep,” she agrees.

“That’s awful.”

Azula takes the mug back.

“Welcome to my childhood.”

Toph smiles, stretching her hands out before her and leaning her head down into her bicep.

“Must’ve been rough,” she says with a smile.

Azula reaches a hand forward and runs her fingers along Toph’s bare forearm.

“The roughest,” she agrees.

Toph unlinks her fingers, and Azula braids theirs together.

Azula takes another sip, and smiles.

“God,” she says, leaning into Toph’s shoulder.

“That’s awful.”


	5. Kiss

“Tell me I didn’t sleep on a rock.”

“Okay,” Toph says. “You didn’t sleep on a rock.”

Azula opens her eyes, and blearily stares at the expanse slate gray concrete before her.

“Ugh,” she whispers, letting her eyes fall closed.

“I told you I could make it soft.”

“Like dirt?” Azula asks the pillow beneath her head.

“Yeah,” Toph agrees with a smile. “Like dirt.”

Azula makes a displeased noise, curling more tightly into herself.

“You loved it. Admit it.”

Azula continues to make displeased noises at the swell of rock her head is resting upon.

“I did no such thing," she mutters sleepily into the rock beneath her head.

Toph continues to smile, leaning half over Azula, resting a hand on her lower back.

Azula blinks open an eye, staring blearily up at Toph.

“You’re just going to have to admit Earth is clearly the best element,” Toph informs her.

Azula reaches out and runs her fingers along the white shirt covering Toph’s side.

“Hitler thought Earth was the best element,” she slurs out, plucking lint off of Toph’s shirt.

“I think that’s a complete and total lie,” Toph says with a laugh.

“No,” Azula whispers, her eyes drifting closed again. “He was just secretive about it.”

There’s a moment of silence as Azula’s fingers run out of easily available lint and settle for just rubbing aimlessly at Toph’s side.

“He _was_ known for being secretive,” Toph finally agrees.

Azula hums in silent acknowledgement, pale pink lips turning up in a soft smile.

“It was pretty much his best known feature,” Toph continues, smirking.

There’s a long pause as Azula tangles her feet in the covers, slowly inching them back up to her waist.

“That’s right,” she finally adds.

“Best known feature,” she adds after another moment, jaw cracking with a yawn.

Toph’s fingers idly twitch where they rest against the surface of the bed, and the concrete beneath Azula’s form softens and reforms itself.

Azula hums in contentment as the covers disentangle themselves from her feet and pull themselves up around her.

Toph slips her hand out from beneath it, and then replaces it above the covers.

“When’s your first class?” she asks after a moment.

Azula’s fingers knot briefly in her shirt before pulling away and wrapping the blankets around herself.

“Ten—”

Azula takes a sleepy breath.

“Forty-five.”

Toph snorts.

“Ten forty-five?”

Azula makes a sleepy hum in agreement.

“That’s not a real time for a class to start.”

Azula makes another sleepy hum.

Toph stares down at her for a moment.

“You know it’s like thirty degrees in here, right?”

Azula smiles.

“Fire’s the best,” she murmurs into her rock-pillow, smoke curling from her lips.

“I’m going to turn on the A/C so you don’t die,” Toph says, coughing the smoke from her face.

Azula makes a sleepy noise of acquiescence.

“I have class,” Toph says after another pause.

Azula hums in agreement.

After another moment Toph lifts her hand from Azula’s side and brings it to her face.

Her blunt fingertips brush haphazardly against Azula’s cheek before making their way into her hair.

Azula blinks open her eyes, staring half-lidded at Toph above her.

Toph lowers her head, and Azula raises hers to meet her.

“Anyways,” Toph says after a moment, coughing to clear her throat.

She pulls away, hand drifting down Azula’s cheek as she sits up.

Azula blows the black hair Toph traced across her face away from her mouth.

“When you leave,” she says as she pushes herself off the bed and makes a vague attempt at straightening her clothes, “Just use the key you stole from the landlord.”

Azula meets her blind eyes for a moment before answering.

“I gave it back,” she whispers into her rock pillow, closing her eyes.

Toph pauses where she stands in the doorway.

She opens her mouth, and then closes it again.

Azula blinks her eyes open again, meeting Toph’s from across the room.

“Then use the one in the drawer,” Toph says, pointing at the nightstand beside her.

Azula blinks again, and then smiles.

“Okay.”

She closes her eyes, and Toph waits in the door for another moment before turning away.

“And don’t set my apartment on fire while I’m gone!” she calls from the entryway.

Azula lips curl into a lazy smirk.

“No—”

Toph’s hand stops on the doorknob.

“—promises.”

Toph pulls the door closed behind her.

 


	6. Feet

 "Toph."

"Azula."

"What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Toph digs her toe under corner of a brick in the sidewalk before her, and, with a twitch of her ankle, flips it over.

"No," Azula says, standing before the pattern of overturned bricks.

"It is not."

Toph makes a rude noise, and nudges at the brick until it settles back into its previous hole.

"Well, it should be."

Azula nudges a dirty brick with the toe of her heel.

"Should it, now?"

"Yes."

Azula raises a dubious eyebrow, pulling her heel back and frowning at the smudge of dirt across its toe.

After a moment, she walks carefully around the mass of flipped bricks, and takes a seat beside Toph.

She folds one leg over the other and looks down at the dirty pattern before her with mild disdain.

"Is it supposed to be something?"

"It's a dog," Toph tells her, reaching over to knock the dirt of off the toe of Azula's heel.

She reaches out, and digs her toe into the grout before another brick.

Azula blinks down at the pattern.

"No it's not."

Toph snorts, popping the brick out of place.

"Of course it's not."

Toph stretches her right foot out, catches the corner of the brick with her toe, and slides it back into its slot.

"Your feet are disgusting," Azula says, nudging at Toph's bare shin where it is outstretched before her.

"That's racist," Toph says, digging a toe into the grout beside another brick.

With a twitch, she flips it.

"My feet are beautiful."

Azula snorts indelicately.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Toph asks, as she slides the brick back into place.

"They're so beautiful you want them in your face?"

"No," Azula interrupts her, lifting her foot to catch Toph's before Toph can shove it in her face.

"Don't lie," Toph sing-songs.

"You know you love it."

"That is a blatant falsehood," Azula says, twisting to avoid Toph left foot as Toph twists to leverage it over her right.

"Come on," Toph wheedles, wagging her toes in Azula's face.

"Give 'em some love."

"No," Azula counters.

"Never."

She catches Toph's foot by the ankle, and pushes it away.

"Aww," Toph complains, collapsing back onto bench and throwing her feet into air.

"Look how sad you're making them."

Toph's lowers her feet to Azula's eye level, and her toes droop.

"Look at what you did."

"They're disgusting," Azula says, batting them away again. "I don't care."

Toph snorts and allows her feet to fall on either side of the bench with a heavy thump.

Azula eyes Toph's spread legs with mild disdain.

After a moment of silence, she comments—

"I can see your underwear, Toph."

Toph lifts her head high enough to make a face at Azula before dropping her head back to the bench with a crack.

"Oh no," she says flatly, flailing her arms weakly.

"Whatever shall I do."

Azula makes an irritated noise, and continues to glare at the juncture of Toph's legs.

"Please, Azula, save me. I am a helpless—"

Azula leans forward and straightens the legs of Toph's shorts back out.

She smooths her hands down Toph's thighs, and then leans back with a smirk.

Toph coughs and clears her throat.

"Are you—" Toph shifts "—happy now?"

"I'm less _unhappy_ ," Azula declares regally, turning her gaze back to the pattern of dirty bricks before her.

After a moment, Toph stomps her foot, and the dirt covering the flipped bricks is cleared away.

"It looks exactly the same."

"No it doesn't."

"Yes it does."

Toph kicks at the ground a second time and the grout reseals itself.

"No it doesn't."

Azula gives it another long look, her left hand absently brushing along the bench between them.

"Yes it does," she finally answers.

Toph makes an exasperated noise.

"Ugh, you're the worst."

She picks up her left foot, and drops it into Azula's lap.

"Toph, clean your foot."

Toph stomps the foot on the ground, and returns it to Azula's lap.

Her foot squirms, and the dusty heelprint on Azula's pant leg erases itself.

"It was so gross before, you don't even know," Toph complains, stomping her right foot and lifting it over Azula head before dropping it into Azula's lap atop her left.

"I had to walk on it barefoot, it was awful."

"Had to," Azula mutters with a smirk, settling her hands on Toph's ankles and leaning forward to more closely examine the flipped bricks.

"Yes," Toph says wiggling her toes at Azula.

" _Had_ to."

Azula hums in response and pats absently at Toph's toes.

"Must have been awful," she says, leaning back and looking sideways at Toph's supine form.

Toph rolls her head to the side, and smiles.

"The worst." 


	7. Cold

"Help me."

"I refuse."

Toph plasters herself against Azula's back anyways, making a piteous groan into Azula's neck.

"It was thirty-seven degrees yesterday," she complains into the dollar of Azula's shirt.

"It was twenty-eight degrees yesterday," Azula corrects, coming to a stop.

"And it's _freezing_ today," Toph says, wrapping her hands around Azula's waist and pulling Azula's body closer to her own shivering form

"It is sixteen degrees, today," Azula corrects smoothly, turning her head to give the top of Toph's a dubious glance.

"You firebenders," Toph continues to complain. "You don't know how good you have it."

Azula snorts indelicately, lacing her fingers over Toph's.

"Oh yes," she says with half a laugh. "To be able to survive sixteen degree weather without a jacket."

She drums her fingers against Toph's.

"I am truly blessed."

Toph nods against Azula's neck.

" _Exactly_ ," she whispers vehemently against Azula's skin, her shivering beginning to subside. "Man was not meant to survive at such horrible temperatures."

"Man," Azula echoes, shifting her stance as Toph leans more and more of her weight onto her.

"Man," Toph echoes back, hanging her head on Azula's shoulder and allowing her legs to go slack.

Azula makes small noise of irritation, but doesn't push her off.

"How are you even wearing a short-sleeved shirt," Toph continues to complain, itching her fingers against Azula’s bare forearms.

"I am clearly superior to you in every way."

"That's the only explanation," Toph agrees, nodding into Azula's shoulder.

There is a long moment of silence as Toph hangs off of Azula's back and Azula drums her fingers against Toph's.

"Are you done?"

"Never."

"I think you're done."

"Nooooo," Toph complains weakly as Azula unlaces her fingers, and begins to walk forward.

"Don't do it," she continues to complain as she leans farther and farther forward to keep her head on Azula's shoulder.

Azula takes a final step forward, and Toph's head slips from her shoulder, dropping her face-first onto the pavement.

"Look at what you did," Toph tells the pavement deformed by her face.

Azula turns and looks down at Toph's prone form.

"Oh believe me," she says, with a smile.

"I am."

"You're the worst," Toph complains into the pavement.

Azula continues to smirk, coming to stand beside Toph's head.

Smoke curls lightly from her lips, and she turns to blow it into the air above her.

"Aha!" Toph cries from beneath her, shifting and wrapping her arms around Azula's right leg.

Azula looks down.

"Mine," Toph declares with a grin.

"Let go of my foot, Toph."

"No."

"I will kick you in the face."

Toph blinks open a blind eye and almost-meets Azula's gaze.

"You wouldn't—" she sniffles, "—kick a helpless blind g—"

"I would,” she interrupts, tapping a heel threateningly against the back of Toph’s head.

“And I would _enjoy_ it.”

Toph considers this for a moment, drumming her fingers against the surface of the heel she has captured before acquiescing with a heaving sigh, releasing Azula’s foot and flopping onto her back to give Azula's general direction a petulant glare.

Azula stares down at her impassively, for a moment before Toph grins, and—

"Hey, are you wearing a—?"

"No."

"Awwww."

There is another long moment of silence as Toph rolls her head back and forth and taps her forehead against Azula’s heels.

“Come on,” Azula finally says, tapping a heel against Toph’s temple, and leaning down.

Toph makes an unsatisfied noise, but sits up and reaches blindly for Azula’s hand regardless.

Azula catches Toph’s forearm, and pulls her to her feet.

“Brrr,” Toph protests with a smile, taking a step into Azula’s personal space and running her fingers up Azula’s forearm.

“Maybe if you actually wore a jacket,” Azula says, placing her right hand over Toph’s where it rests on her forearm, “you wouldn’t have this problem.”

“Jackets are for quitters,” she says with a grin, taking another step forward.

Azula snorts indelicately, blowing a mouthful of smoke into Toph’s face.

Toph coughs the smoke out her face and grins.

“Anyways, I have you.”

Azula rolls her eyes with an exasperated sigh, but doesn’t deny it.  


	8. Closet

"Hey Azula, I didn't know you had this many jackets."

Azula pauses, brush stalling in her hair

"I haven't gotten rid of those, yet?" she asks airily.

"I would have sworn I had thrown those all out—"

"Oh my God, is this leather?"

Azula stops again, turning her head to glance back at Toph.

"It is!" Toph clutches to her face and snuggles into it.

"Azula," she asks, face perfectly serious.

"Did you used to be _cool_?"

Azula's returns her brush to her vanity, pushes herself away from her vanity and paces over to the closet, heels clicking against the tile floor.

"I have a better question," she says, placing her hands on Toph’s shoulders and pulling her away.

"Why are you in my closet?"

"I was bored!" Toph declares with a smile, wriggling out of Azula's grip and diving back into her closet.

"And you had so many hangers for someone who only wears one shirt!"

"I wear more than one shirt," Azula declares haughtily.

"You don't, though."

Azula makes an irritated noise.

"Many different colors of the same shirt, maybe."

Azula goes silent.

Toph cackles.

"I wear it both with sleeves rolled up and the sleeves rolled down."

Toph grins at her from the jacket she has hidden herself behind.

"No you don't."

Azula runs her fingers over her exposed forearms.

There is a moment of silence, and Toph glances away.

"I bet this is hot pink, isn't it?" she finally says, pushing the jacket before her on Azula's general direction.

Azula slides a glance to the bright red jacket before looking back at Toph.

"It's not."

"Do you have hot pants to go with it?"

"No."

" _Liar_."

Azula reaches into her closet and bodily drags Toph back out.

Toph whines pitifully but doesn't stop her.

"You used to be so _cool_ ," she says, sagging into Azula's arms.

"What _happened_ to all of your _cool_ , Azula."

"I'm still cool," Azula says stiffly, lifting her nose in the air.

"I'm _very_ cool."

Toph pauses, dropping her hands to Azula's bare forearms.

"Yeah," Toph rubs her thumbs the backs of Azula's hands.

"Okay."

After a moment, Azula laces her fingers together over Toph's stomach, and rests her chin on Toph's shoulder.

"If it makes you feel better," Toph says, blind eyes staring, unseeing, before her.

"I love your one shirt."

After a long moment, Azula snorts.

"Liar," Azula says, twisting her head to whisper into Toph's ear.

"You couldn't give less of a fuck about my one shirt."

Toph grins at the closet before her, running her fingertips up Azula's bare forearms.

"I like that you roll up the sleeves," she finally says.

Azula snorts in her ear once more before turning and dropping her head into Toph's shoulder once more.

"But seriously," Toph says after another moment of silence, leaning her head against Azula's.

"You're a firebender. Why do you have so many jackets?"

She gestures vaguely at the overflowing closet before them.

"You don't get cold—and I’ve never known you to care about fashion.”

There’s a long moment of silence as they both stare into the closet before them.

"Maybe," Azula says, catching Toph's hand and bringing it back to her stomach.

"Maybe I wasn't always that way."

Toph pauses, mouth half-open, then cranes her head back to glance at Azula.

"Maybe?"

"Maybe,” Azula says without turning to meet Toph’s gaze.

Toph leans her cheek back against Azula's, and drums her fingers against her forearms.

"Huh," she finally says.

"How about that."

Azula hums in response, eyes blankly staring at her sea of clothes before her.

"How about that," she finally echoes, smoke curling at her lips.


	9. Elegantest

 “Toph?”

“Azula.”

Azula blinks sleepily up at Toph, and then glances down to where Toph’s hand rests on her bicep.

“Are you okay?”

Toph grimaces out a smile, turning her blind gaze briefly to where the fingers of her left hand rest against the stone headboard before turning back to Azula.

“Of course,” she answers, her lips curling into a forced smirk

She swallows.

Azula reaches out blindly and rests a hand on the exposed skin between Toph’s pants and her shirt.

"Wanted to make sure you didn't miss this," she finally says, making a vague nod at her disheveled attire.

"I was sure you would have just been crushed."

Azula blinks once before coughing out a weak laugh.

"Oh," she says in response, sliding her hand under Toph's shirt, " that would have been a travesty."

Azula pushes herself half off the bed, and leans towards her.

"I don't think I ever would have been able to recover."

The tightness in Toph's smile fades, and she slides her hand from Azula's bicep to the curve of her waist.

"Need me to get a light?" Toph asks with a smile.

"Just so you can fully appreciate it?"

Azula smiles, shifting her right hand so she can lean further forward.

"Oh, no," Azula says, glancing down at Toph's rumpled form in the faint moonlight.

"I wouldn't want you to lose your mystique."

" I have always been told that's my best feature."

"Your mystique?"

"Yeah."

Azula snorts, untangling her hand from Toph's shirt and flopping back onto the bed.

Toph grins down at her.

"So elegant," she comments after a moment.

"Of course I am," Azula replies automatically.

"Who could possibly be more elegant than me?"

Toph slides herself back onto the bad, retrieving her hand from the headboard, and laying her head down on the pillow beside Azula.

Azula turns towards her, and leans their foreheads together.

Toph reaches out, and rests a hand on that curve of Azula's waist.

"No one,” Toph finally agrees.

“You are clearly the elegantest.”

Azula shifts forward, tangling their legs together and resting a hand on Toph’s waist.

“I’m glad that you finally noticed,” she says with a smile.

“It certainly took you long enough.”


	10. Technicolor

 "Do you mind?"

Toph pauses in the doorway, and grins.

"Did you know your water's hard?"

Azula lets out an exasperated sigh, and plunges her head back under the spray.

"Go away, Toph."

"It's like I'm seeing you in Technicolor."

"You have no idea what that means," Azula says, sticking her head out of the stall to glare at Toph.

"Also," Azula continues, vanishing back into the shower stall, "there is far more iron in my blood than in there are minerals in my water."

Toph blanches, screwing up her face, and turning away.

"So shouldn’t you always be seeing me in—”

"La la la!" Toph cries out from outside Azula's shower stall.

"I can't hear you! La la la la!”

Azula smirks, and leans down to pump conditioner into her hand.

There is a moment of silence as Azula works conditioner into her hair, before—

"Are you seriously brushing your teeth right now?"

"What," Toph garbles around her toothbrush.

Azula pokes her head out of the shower stall to give Toph another pointed glare.

"I'm taking a shower," she remarks pointedly.

Toph half-turns to meet Azula's gaze over her shoulder.

"And I'm brushing my teeth," she continues to garble, not removing the toothbrush from her mouth.

"Are we playing point-out-the-obvious?" She turns back to the mirror.

"I'm good at that game," she continues without removing the toothbrush from her mouth.

"You are currently na—"

"Okay, fine," Azula interrupts.

"Brush your teeth."

She vanishes back into the shower stall.

"See if I care."

Toph hums happily, and continues to brush her teeth.

After another minute, Toph finishes, rinses her toothbrush, and wanders over to the toilet.

"If you try to use the toilet, I'll leave," Azula warns from the inside of the stall.

"This is your apartment."

"I'll buy another."

Toph snorts.

"Also, this isn't my apartment," Azula says, ducking her head beneath the spray.

"It is my condominium." She rakes her fingers through her hair. "I own it."

Toph pauses, and takes a seat on the toilet.

"Is that really what we should be focusing on?"

"It's _important_."

For a moment, the only sound in the bathroom is the soft roar of the shower.

"But no," Azula adds.

"We should be focusing on why you are in my bathroom while I'm showering."

"I got lonely," Toph wheedles, giving the smoked glass of the stall door her best puppy dog eyes.

Azula's hands stall briefly in her hair, before she sighs and rolls her eyes.

"Fine," she says, giving her hair one last rinse before turning to shut off the water. "I'm done anyways," she continues, stepping out of the shower stall.

"Azula—" Toph gasps in horror, "How could you, my blind, virgin—"

"I was literally bathed by servants into my teens, Toph," Azula says, plucking her towel from the rack and lifting it to her head, sweeping from the room.

"I do not care."

Toph snorts, leaning back against the back of the toilet, and staring up at the ceiling.

"You know," she remarks to the empty room around her after a long moment, "This is a really uncomfortable chair."

Azula pauses where she sits before her vanity, hands frozen in her damp hair, before rolling her eyes and continuing to fluff her hair over her shoulder.

"Unless you’re going to shower or use the toilet, get out of my bathroom, Toph.”

She reaches forward, and plucks her hair dryer from the vanity’s surface.

“I’m out here.”

Toph stops to consider it a moment before heaving herself to her feet, drifting out of the bathroom and coming to stand behind Azula.

"Nah," she shouts over the roar of Azula’s hair dryer, setting her hands on Azula’s bare upper arms.

"I wouldn't want to lose my protective layer of dirt.”

Azula rolls her eyes, leaning forward and fluffing more of her hair over her shoulder.

“No,” she shouts back.

“That would just be tragic.”

For a moment, the silence between them is only broken by the roar of Azula’s hair dryer.

“I also didn’t have to poop,” Toph finally adds, rubbing at Azula’s arms and leaning down to smirk at her through the mirror.

Azula makes a pained noise, but doesn’t shrug her off.


	11. Circus

“What’re these?”

“Tickets,” Azula responds without turning.

“Tickets?” Toph says, picking them up from the counter and waving them in front of her face.

“Tickets.”

Toph spins to jump onto the counter, and stares blankly at where Azula is fluffing her hair in the full-length hall mirror.

There is a long moment of silence, broken only by Toph’s continued noisy waving of the tickets.

“Do you want to come, Toph?” Azula finally asks, eyeing Toph in the mirror.

“They’re some pretty fancy tickets,” Toph comments, pressing them between her hands.

“They even use lead-based paint!”

“They don’t use lead-based paint.”

There’s another pause, as Toph frowns down at her clasped hands.

“They’re to Cirque du Soleil,” Azula says, turning away from the mirror to face Toph.

Toph kicks her feet indignantly.

“I could have read them,” she says, dropping them back onto the counter beside her.

Azula hums absently in response, plucking a hair tie from a back pocket and tying her hair back.

“Do you want to come?” she repeats.

Toph continues to kick her feet, rocking back and forth on the counter.

“Cirque du Soleil as in the circus?”

“Is there another?”

Azula twists her head back, and nudges absently at one of her bangs in the mirror.

“Lots of airbenders not-really-walking on the ground?”

“They’re not all airbenders,” Azula corrects, turning back to face her.

“But yes.”

“Then _no_.”

Azula snorts.

There’s another moment of silence, and Azula glances back in the mirror and nudges at her bangs.

“That doesn’t really seem your style,” Toph comments, looking dubiously at the tickets.

“It’s not,” Azula agrees, turning back again.

“But you’re going anyways?”

“But I’m going anyways.”

Toph hums in response, spreading her fingers across the tickets scattered across the counter beside her.

“A friend sent them,” Azula says, after a long moment of silence.

“A friend?”

“A friend.”

Toph leans back on her palms, kicking her legs once more.

“That’s weird.”

“It’s not as weird as you’d think,” Azula says, closing the distance between them.

Azula comes to a stop before Toph, and Toph stops kicking her legs.

“Why’d she send you two?”

Azula leans over Toph, plucking the two tickets from the counter and slipping them into her purse.

“She, and I quote, ‘cannot imagine a world where I could possibly be single.’”

Toph tightens her knees around Azula’s waist when Azula leans back, and Azula stops to give her a dubious look.

“I am apparently too perfect and flawless in every way for such a thing to be possible.”

Toph snorts, kicking her feet once more.

“Uh-huh.”

Azula drops her purse on the counter beside Toph, and lowers her hands to the counter on either side of Toph.

“Right.”

“Are you done?” Azula asks after a moment.

Toph shakes her head.

“Nope.”

Azula sighs, twisting to glance at the clock.

“It’s almost six.”

Toph heaves herself back upright, and drops her arms around Azula’s shoulders.

“That’s totally not my fault,” she says, meeting Azula’s eyes.

Azula eyes Toph’s hair dubiously.

“It should have been,” Azula decides.

Toph makes a rude noise, shaking her bangs at Azula’s face, and reaches her hands back to finger at Azula’s ponytail.

Azula waits patiently, raising her hands to Toph’s waist.

Toph raises her fingers, and allows Azula’s hair to run through it.

“When’re the tickets for?” Toph asks, dropping her forehead to Azula’s.

Azula drums her fingers against Toph’s waist.

“The twelfth.”

She taps out a rhythm on Toph’s shirt.

“Five o’clock.”

Toph hums, letting her hands fall loose around Azula shoulders.

“You’d hate it,” Azula adds.

“Yeah,” Toph agrees, closing her eyes.

“I know.”


	12. Hair

"Hold _still_."

"I am holding still."

"Hold _stiller_."

Azula levels Toph with a dubious look.

"You're doing it again," Toph complains.

"What, breathing?"

"Yes, that."

Toph makes a face.

"Stop it."

Azula takes a deep breath and holds it.

"Yes, good."

She opens her mouth, and blows a mouthful of smoke into Toph's face.

"There!" Toph proclaims with a cough, taking a step out of the cloud of smoke.

"Done!"

Azula raises her hands to her hair, and runs her fingers along the hard lines of steel woven into her hair.

"That's how I used to do my hair when my parents had their stupid thingies."

Azula raises her gaze to Toph's unruly mass of hair.

"And now you allow dirt to build up in it until you can earthbend it into maximum mess?"

Toph snorts, and makes a face.

"Now you have to admit that metalbending is clearly superior to—"

She pauses.

"Whatever it is you firebenders have."

"You firebenders," Azula echoes.

"You firebenders," Toph echoes back.

"Like lightning and explosion bending?"

“Right, those.”

Toph pauses.

"Wait. Can _you_ explosion bend?"

"Do I look like I'm missing any limbs to you?"

Toph ponders for a moment, before leaning forward and blindly groping at Azula's extremities.

"Stop that."

Toph stops, but doesn't move her hands from where they lie on Azula's shoulders.

"So," Toph says with a smirk, "You're saying you _can't_ explosion bend?"

"I'm saying I value my extremities."

Toph grins and presses their foreheads together.

"So you're saying—"

"I'm sure I could if I wanted to."

Azula sniffs and lifts her chin, dragging her forehead against Toph's.

"I bent lightning—"

Azula pauses and coughs, averting her eyes.

Her forehead slides back down against Toph's.

"I bent lightning before I bent fire," she finally says.

"I'm sure I could bend explosions."

Toph blinks.

"I didn't know that."

"The more you know," Azula says dully.

Toph leans back, and Azula, after a beat, raises her gaze to meet hers.

“Metal’s still better,” Toph says after a long moment, dropping her hands around Azula’s shoulders.

Azula snorts, and winds her arms around Toph’s waist.

“And you’re just going to have to admit that,” Toph continues with a smirk, dropping her hands over Azula’s shoulders.

Toph twitches one hand, and the metal lines in Azula’s hair wind themselves out of Azula’s air and back around Toph’s wrist.

Azula raises one eyebrow.

“I like your hair better this way,” Toph says with a smile, threading her fingers through the thick mass of Azula’s hair.

“Better access.”

Azula smirks vaguely and leans her head back.

“Okay,” she agrees, letting her eyes fall closed and tightening her arms around Toph’s waist, and stretching her fingers high enough to finger at the ends of Toph’s mass of hair.

“I like yours better this way, too."

 


	13. Chain

"Come on, rise and shine!"

With a pained groan, Azula pulls herself into a sitting position and digs her fingers into her hair.

“Aren’t firebenders supposed to ‘rise with the sun’?” Toph asks with a smirk.

“The sun can go fuck itself,” Azula grumbles, squinting at the sun shining through the windows before her.

She groans again, stretching her hands above her head.

“Close my blinds.”

“No.”

Azula makes a displeased noise, and slumps back down.

She runs her hands through her hair, heaving it up and dropping it back against her back.

Toph reaches out, and presses her palm against Azula’s back.

“What,” Azula asks, glancing at Toph over her shoulder.

“Nothing,” Toph says, raising her blind gaze to meet Azula’s.

Azula holds her gaze for a long moment before turning back to the windows and pulling her hair out from beneath Toph’s hand.

“Okay.”

After a moment, Toph retrieves her hand from Azula’s back and slides off the bed.

Her feet drop to the tile floor and she shivers.

“How are you tiles always so cold, Azula?”

Azula makes a neutral noise from behind her as Toph heaves herself to her feet.

“I heat bend all the warmth from them, of course,” she adds belatedly.

Toph pauses and glances back at Azula.

Azula makes a sleepy noise.

“What time is it?”

Toph gropes at the dresser before her and pokes at the clock resting upon it.

“Seven—thirty-eight!” it chirps cheerfully.

Azula makes a displeased noise.

“I love how excited it always sounds,” Toph comments, poking at it again.

“Seven—thirty-eight!”

“Like it just makes its day you want to know what time it is.

Azula makes an incoherent groan and staggers to her feet.

Toph turns away from the glowing clock and faces Azula.

“Did you know you’re really cute when you’ve just woken up?”

Azula stumbles forward, only narrowly catching herself before crashing into the stone headboard of her bed.

“Did you know you’re really flammable all the time?”

Toph blinks, and then laughs.

Azula makes a weak effort of glaring at her before continuing to stagger around her headboard.

She reaches Toph and Toph wraps her arms around Azula’s waist.

Azula blinks down Toph’s chest for a moment before sagging against her, leaning her shoulder into Toph’s chest.

These is a soft clink, and Toph smiles.

“What,” Azula complains into her chest, not looking up.

“Nothing,” Toph says, raising one hand from Azula’s waist to trace it against the long chain half-hanging from Azula’s shirt.

Azula glances down and makes a face.

“Put that back.”

Toph flicks her fingers, and it slithers back beneath Azula’s shirt.

“What about mine?” Toph says after a moment.

Azula raises her hand to Toph’s chest, and sets it against the curve of the chain hanging loosely on top of Toph’s shirt.

“I don’t care,” she says, tracing her fingers against the neckline of Toph’s shirt.

“Do what you want.”

She pushes herself off Toph, and Toph releases her grip.

“Okay,” Toph tells Azula’s back, taking a step away from the dresser when Azula rattles the drawers in irritation, but she does not raise her hand to the chain hanging loose from her shirt.

“I’ll do that.”

Azula glances back at her, gaze dropping to the loose chain still hanging over Toph’s shirt before raising it back to Toph.

She smiles faintly before turning back to her dresser and continuing to rummage through it.

“You do that,” she echoes.

 


	14. Cooking

 “Are you staring at me?”

“No.”

Toph glances back over her shoulder.

Azula meets her gaze coolly.

“Liar.”

Azula shrugs, taking a step forward and placing her hands on Toph’s shoulders.

After a moment, she slips them down Toph’s back and rests them on Toph's waist.

Toph dumps the onions she's been chopping in the frying pan to her right, and carelessly tosses the knife around Azula and into the sink behind her.

The onions begin to sizzle before her, and Toph leans back against Azula.

"You're a firebender," she comments idly, dropping one hand to Azula's on her waist.

"Shouldn't you be the one playing with the fire?"

"Cooking is for servants," Azula immediately responds, spreading her fingers against Toph's waist and interlacing their fingers.

"Are you calling me a servant?" Toph asks after a moment.

Azula's hands tighten around Toph's waist, and she presses her closed mouth against the back of Toph's head.

"No," she says stiffly into Toph's hair, pulling Toph possessively against her.

Toph opens her mouth, and then closes it again.

With a twitch of her fingers, the frying pan twitches, and the hissing subsides.

"Yeah, okay," Toph agrees, leaning away from Azula and over the frying pan.

"How is it?" Azula asks, dropping her hands from Toph's waist.

Toph shrugs, flicks a spatula into her hand, and begins to push the contents of the frying pan around.

"Not brown yet," Toph comments with a smirk, putting the spatula back down and turning to face Azula.

Azula hums in response, but doesn't look at the frying pan.

Toph reaches out with her right hand, and Azula offers her left.

Toph curls her fingers around Azula's, and Azula's eyes widen briefly before relxaing again.

Toph reaches with the other hand, and Azula responds in kind.

"I like this," Toph declares, pulling Azula closer and twitching the frying pan with the jerk of an elbow.

Azula glances at that frying pan, the glass cup measure filled with water, and the unopened box of curry on the counter.

She turns her gaze back to Toph, and nods.

"Yes," she agrees.

"This is acc—"

She pauses.

Licks her lips.

"This is nice."

Toph smiles, and elbows at this frying pan, once more.  


	15. Phone

 “Hey Azula.”

“Hello, Toph.”

“How’s it going?”

Azula makes a half-shrug, readjusting her grip on her phone.

“It’s going pretty well,” she says neutrally, lifting a teacup to her lips. “All things considered.”

“Yeah?”

Azula takes a sip of her tea, and returns the teacup to the table.

“Yeah,” she agrees.

She glances at the largely empty tables around her, then returns her gaze to the empty seat across the table from her.

“Yeah,” she repeats, leaning forward onto the table.

“How about you?” she asks after a moment, leaning her cheek into the phone.

“I’m doing pretty good.”

There’s a pause as Azula stares blankly at the center of the table before her.

“We won our game today.”

“Yeah,” Azula agrees. “I read about it.”

“The airbender was a bit of a problem, but—”

Azula smiles faintly at the pause.

On the other end of the line, Toph gives a half shrug.

“I could handle it.”

“You could handle it?”

“Yeah, he was a total pushover.”

Toph rolls onto her back, and stares blindly at the ceiling above her.

“You’re totally thinking ‘Aren’t they all”, aren’t you?”

“I’m not,” Azula says with a huffing laugh.

Toph continues to stare blindly at the ceiling above her.

“The new guy’s good,” she says after a moment.

Azula snorts into the phone.

“He’d better be.”

“He’s not as good as you.”

Azula makes an unidentifiable noise and the sound of a fingernails drumming restlessly against a glass table makes its way over the phone.

“I’m sorry,” Toph says, sitting up. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No,” Azula immediately, responds, the drumming sound ceasing. “No, it’s—”

Azual coughs out a weak laugh.

“How could he be?”

She swallows audibly, and Toph sits up and leans her forehead against her knees.

“Yeah,” Toph agrees. “Like—”

Toph clears her throat.

“Yeah.” She drums her fingers against the soft comforter of the bed beneath her. “You’re the best.”

There’s another moment of silence, and Toph closes her eyes.

“But you won?” Azula asks, shifting so both of her elbows are resting on the table.

One hand itches across her tightly bound hair, pulling it out of its impeccable ponytail.

“Yeah, we went five and three.”

“Did you start?”

“I was in for every round,” Toph declares proudly.

“Oh,” Azula says. “That’s good.”

“Yeah.”

Azula leans her head forward and tugs the hair tie from her hair.

It falls in a curtain around her, and she throws her head back to flip it out of her face.

“Did anyone take video?”

“Not for this kind of practice match,” Toph says, turning her head as the door to her room opens.

She flicks her fingers at the figure until it vanishes again.

“That’s a shame,” Azula laments. “I wish I could’ve seen it.”

Toph smirks lightly.

“Story of my life, Azula.”

“Oh, shut up.”

Toph falls silent once more blowing lightly at the bangs hanging over her eyes.

Toph opens and closes her mouth several times before—

“Also—”

She swallows.

“Happy birthday, Azula.”

There’s a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

“Thanks, Toph.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there.”

“No—I—”

Azula sags back into her chair.

When Azula doesn’t finish, Toph continues.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything before.”

“No,” Azula repeats, raising a hand and half-heartedly signalling a waiter. “No, don’t worry about it.”

The waiter arrives, and Azula slips her card from her wallet and hands it to him.

“It’s fine,” Azula finally adds.

“It’s not.”

Azula makes a displeased noise, and digs her fingers into her hair once more.

After a moment, she drops her hand to her collar and absent-mindedly straightens it.

“Anyways,” Toph finishes belatedly. “I just wanted to call to wish you a happy birthday.”

Azula stares blankly at the glass tables before her.

“Thanks, Toph.”

“Yeah.”

There’s a moment of silence before Toph adds awkwardly—

“One year closer to death.”

Azula coughs out a humorless laugh.

“Or something like that,” Toph continues weakly.

Azula reaches out her left hand to the waiter, and takes the check from his hands.

“Or something like that,” Azula echoes, scribbling out her signature.

She leans back.

“Yeah.”


	16. Carpet

" _Azula?_ "

"I've never been a fan of waiting for what I want,” Azula declares, pushing her way into the room.

Toph yields before her, allowing the door to swing closed behind her.

"Well—"

"Did they seriously put you in a room with carpeted floors?"

Toph glances down.

She shrugs.

"The walls have enough earth in them I can see well enough."

Toph reaches out with a hand to drum her knuckles against the wall beside her.

"Well enough," Azula parrots with a displeased scowl.

"Tile-floored rooms are expensive, Azula.”

"You're _blind_ , Toph."

"Yes, Azula, I am—"

"It is their _responsibility_ to provide you with special accommodations."

Toph sighs and wraps her arms around Azula's shoulders as she continues to bristle.

"I'm happy you're here, Azula."

"Has it always been like this? Did I miss this?"

Toph makes an irritated noise, and leans back.

"Sometimes," she admits. "Yeah."

"You can sue them you know. And if worst comes to worst, I can always—"

" _Azula_."

Azula presses her lips into a thin line of displeasure, but acquiesces, relaxing her stance and curling her arms around Toph's waist.

"They should treat you better than this," she finally says, glaring at the room around them.

Toph sighs, and then smiles down at Azula.

"I'm so happy you came," Toph repeats.

After another moment of sullenness, Azula relents.

"I—"

She pauses, and glances down at Toph's chest.

"I wanted to see you."

Toph tightens her arms around Azula.

"Today."

Toph smiles.

"Me too," she adds after a moment.

Azula begins to crab-walk Toph back to the bed.

"How did you get here?" Toph asks as she is shuffled across the room.

"I drove."

"I didn't know you owned a car."

"I own a twentieth of a small town in Wales.”

A beat.

"Of course I own a car."

Toph pauses.

"A twentieth?"

Azula shrugs.

"Father owned half of it, and he never liked me very much."

Toph coughs out a laugh.

"What an ass."

Azula snorts in agreement.

Toph's knees hit the back of her bed, and she smiles down at Azula.

"I still hate this room," Azula tells her, hands tightening around Toph's waist.

"I'm going to buy you a new one for however long you're staying here."

Toph coughs out a laugh and shakes her head.

"Fine," she says.

"Anything for the birthday girl."

"Woman," Azula corrects.

"Anything for the birthday woman.”

"Yes," Azula agrees, pushing Toph back onto the bed.

"That is acceptable.”

 


	17. Worse

 “Hey.”

“Hey.”

Toph blinks open an eye and makes a weak effort of pointing it in Azula’s direction.

Azula smiles faintly down at her, looking back at her over a bare shoulder.

Her hair hangs heavily over her back, softly curling its way down to her lower back.

“When do you have to be up?”

Toph makes a neutral noise, reaching out blindly and setting her hand on the curve of Azula’s lower back.

“I don’t know.” She casts her blind gaze briefly to the alarm clock lying on the wooden nightstand. “What time is it.”

Azula’s lips thin briefly before she follows Toph’s gaze.

“Seven forty-two.”

“Then I’ve still got a while.”

Azula nods, turning her face back to the curtains before her.

“How long have you been awake?” Toph asks, her hand threading its way beneath Azula’s hair. “You’re almost never awake before me.”

Azula shrugs.

“Not long,” she says neutrally, slumping into Toph’s caress.

She shivers as Toph’s fingers begin to catch on the uneven skin of Azula’s back.

“Are you staying?”

“Of course.”

Toph spreads her hand against Azula’s upper back, her blunt fingernails scraping lightly against the rough skin.

Azula shivers again, bowing her head and closing her eyes.

There is a long moment of silence, before—

“Does it hurt?”

Azula immediately stiffens and glances sharply back at Toph.

Toph freezes, mouth only half-closed.

She opens it again, lets out a breath, and then smiles weakly.

After a moment, Azula slumps back and returns her gaze to the curtained windows.

“Sometimes,” she says, shoulder blades flexing under Toph’s hands.

“A little less all the time,” she adds after a moment.

Toph’s fingers drift further up her back, scratching lightly at the scaly skin at the base of Azula’s neck.

Azula shivers and sighs, slumping further into Toph’s hand.

“Does it hurt now?”

Azula grimaces, half-turning her head to not-quite-glance at Toph.

“A little,” she finally says.

“I’ve had worse.”

Toph lips tighten, and her hand drifts back down Azula’s back.

Azula slowly straightens as Toph’s hand returns to the smooth skin of her lower back.

“Where’s my shirt?” Azula finally asks.

Toph snorts and shrugs.

“I have no idea.” Her hand pushes forward, settling against the curve of Azula’s waist. “Carpet,” she adds unnecessarily.

Azula tenses beneath her hand again, and Toph pushes her hand around the curve of Azula’s waist, dropping it into Azula’s lap.

“But _my_ shirt’s over there.”

She unfurls her fingers and points at it.

Azula raises her gaze to it before rising from the bed, depositing Toph’s hand on the comforter beside her.

She crosses the distance to it in two long strides before slipping it over her head, its hem dropping just low enough to offer a modicum of decency.

Her hands itch briefly for the collar it doesn’t have before falling by her sides once more.

Toph smiles, laying her head back on her pillow.

“I do love seeing you in my clothes,” she says absently, arm draped over the empty space still warm with Azula’s residual body heat.

Azula smooths shirt over her stomach and smiles faintly.

“I know.”

She makes her way back over to the bed, pushing Toph’s arm and lifting the comforter out of the way before sliding down beside her.

“That’s why I got it.”

Toph drops her arm back around Azula’s waist and Azula drops her head onto the pillow beside her.

“Liar,” Toph accuses absently, smoothing her hand up Azula’s side and allowing her eyes to drift closed.

Azula shifts forward, pressing her forehead into Toph’s and tangling their legs together.

“I’m glad you came,” Toph says after a long moment of silence.

“I’m buying you a new room,” Azula responds.

Toph’s eyes blink open in surprise, and then she snorts softly.

“And then I’m going to have a long talk with our—” she pauses “—your coach about her responsibilities to you.”

Toph makes an irritated noise, but the corners of her lips turn up at the edges as she allows her eyes to drift closed again.

“I don’t need your help,” she whispers against Azula’s lips.

Azula smiles, and breathes back—

“I don’t care.”


	18. Suite

 "Azula, did you get me the presidential suite?"

"No."

There is a moment of silence as Azula digs through her purse for the key card.

"Azula, this room is so pretentious they literally etch the name of the room on a metal plaque and attach it to the wall."

She gestures to the plaque on the wall beside them.

Azula glances up to glare at for a long moment.

"Don't light it on fire."

"I wasn't going to light it on fire."

"Yes you were."

Azula makes a displeased noise, and returns her gaze to her purse.

"I got _us_ the president's suite," she says regally, slipping the key into the door and stomping her way into the room without waiting for Toph to follow.

Toph blinks.

"Are you _coming_?"

Toph catches the door just before it closes, and pushes her way in.

"So," she says, following in the wake of Azula's haphazardly strewn trail of belongings to the couch.

"How was I, today?"

Azula sniffs in disdain.

"You were wonderful, of course," she declares regally.

"Don't ask stupid questions."

Toph sinks down onto the couch beside Azula with a weak snort, and Azula pulls open her cuffs and folds them up to her elbows.

Left arm, then right.

“We lost, you know,” Toph says, laying her hand against Azula’s arm.

“Yes,” Azula responds haughtily, dropping a hand on Toph’s. “I noticed.”

Azula pauses a beat before continuing.

“But you were also having a practice match with a _professional_ team.”

“All the good teams are doing it.”

“You were also never knocked out, while all of your points were by KO.”

There’s a pause.

“Not to mention the fact you lost five-four.” Azula sniffs. “The judge was clearly biased against you.”

Toph snorts.

There is a moment of silence as Toph traces light figures into Azula’s arm.

“What did you think of the new kid?” Toph finally asks, leaning her shoulder against Azula’s.

“I hate him,” Azula immediately responds. “He embodies everything I hate about everything.”

Toph coughs out a laugh.

“You recommended him.”

“That is completely irrelevant to my deep and abiding hatred for him.”

Toph smiles.

“He also seems to like you.”

“That man-child has never met a pile of shit he didn’t think was the most beautiful thing on the face of the earth, so I fail to see how that is even remotely relevant.”

Toph coughs out a laugh, leaning her head into her free hand and giving Azula’s general direction her best sideways look.

“Don’t deny it,” Azula responds haughtily. “You know it’s true.”

Toph opens her mouth and then closes again.

She looks away.

“That’s right,” Azula gloats. “Bow down to my superiority. I have had to deal with his particular brand of bullshit for far longer than you even knew he existed.”

Toph glances back at Azula, and they stare at each other for a long moment.

Toph stretches her toes against the tile floor and flops back, relaxing her head over the top of the sofa.

“So how did your talk with the coach go?”

Azula’s gaze drops to the long column of Toph’s throat, and she wets her lips.

“She immediately conceded that I was right in every way,” she says, glancing away.

“Liar.”

Azula glances back, and shrugs.

“I was right, she was wrong.” Azula lifts her hand from Toph’s to angrily gesture before her. “She had responsibilities she was failing to meet, and I informed her of that fact.”

Azula takes a sharp breath, and shakes her head.

“I shouldn’t have had to talk to her at all. She—”

Toph rolls her head to the side to meet Azula’s eyes.

Azula grimaces, and looks away.

“She will give you the appropriate accommodations from now on.”

“Azula—”

Toph pulls lightly on Azula’s arm.

“It really didn’t bother me.”

Toph pulls again, and Azula turns back to face her.

“I know,” Azula finally says.

“I know, and I’m sorry.”

Azula spreads her fingers across Toph’s bare knee.

“But it bothered _me_.”


	19. Mine

 “Which one’s yours?”

“None of them are mine.”

Toph twists in her seat to glare at Azula.

Azula meets her glare for a long moment before turning back to the stage.

“I’m still surprised they let you in without shoes on.”

“I’m in a dress.”

Azula glances at it out of the corner of her eye.

She continues to glance at it for several long seconds before jerking her gaze away.

“Yes,” she says, voice perfectly level. “Yes, you are.”

“Should I have worn a suit?”

“You don’t own a suit.”

“I could have bought a suit.”

“Did you want a suit?”

“I hate suits.”

Azula continues to stare at the stage before them.

“In that case, it’s good that you didn’t wear a suit,” she says after a long moment of silence.

“Do you like my dress?”

Azula glances at Toph again, and Toph grins widely up at her.

Azula drops her gaze, and smiles faintly before turning back to the stage.

“Yes,” she says. “Yes, I do.”

“Aw yeah,” Toph says. “Still workin’ it.”

“Still workin’ it,” Azula echoes.

Toph elbows at her, and Azula bats her elbow away.

After a moment, Toph sighs, and—

“Don’t put your feet up on the seat in front of you, Toph.”

Toph freezes, feet hanging half an inch over the top of the seat in front of her.

She very pointedly looks at her feet, then turns to look at Azula, then turns to look back at her feet.

“How about I just leave them here?”

Azula glances at her feet, before glancing up at Toph.

“I can do it, you know.”

Azula glances back at her feet.

“Do not doubt my foot-holding-up strength.”

Toph’s feet don’t shake.

“Put your feet down.”

Toph drops them, and the aisle shakes.

“Thank you,” Azula says, turning back to the stage.

“I like your suit, by the way.”

Azula’s eyes slide back to Toph.

“And by suit, I mean the same thing you wear every single day.”

“I rolled down my sleeves,” Azula points out blandly, plucking at her cuffs. “I also put on a jacket.”

She drops her gaze to her heels before popping it off of her heel and dangling it lightly against the plush velvet flooring beneath them.

“I’m also wearing special dress heels.”

Toph squirms a foot over to bump against Azula’s dangling heel.

“They do feel different,” Toph comments, wrapping her toes around the end of the heel.

Toph flexes her toes, and Azula kicks at her with her free foot until Toph releases it again.

“Such abuse,” Toph complains idly, kicking back at Azula before dropping her feet before her.

Azula doesn’t respond, raising her gaze back to the stage.

“So which one’s yours?”

Azula glances back at Toph.

“And won’t she be mad you clearly have no respect for her choice of profession?”

Azula hums absently.

“She has turned herself into a literal circus freak.”

She unfolds and refolds her legs.

“And, in doing so, left me, her best friend, alone. In Britain. During the prime years of our lives.”

“You, her best friend,” Toph parrots.

“Ty Lee understands that I support her in all of her endeavors,” Azula finishes flatly.

“Even if they’re stupid?”

“Especially if they’re stupid.”

There’s a pause, and Azula’s lips curl up into a faint smirk.

“In their defense, so is she.”

Toph snorts.

“Ouch.”

“Ty Lee recognizes this fact.” Azula pats at Toph’s hand where their hands are tangled together on the armrest between them.

“I like to think that she has weaponized it.”

Toph laughs again, and there is another moment of silence before—

“It makes her happy,” Azula finally adds, staring up at the stage. “Far happier than staying in Britain ever could have.”

Toph turns to glance at Azula, and, after a moment, Azula turns to face Toph.

“So?” Toph asks.

“So?” Azula returns.

Toph gestures at the stage.

“That’s a wooden stage,” Azula comments with a raised brow.

“There’s concrete under it somewhere.”

“Half of the dancers are airbenders.”

“Is _your_ dancer an airbender?”

Azula makes a displeased noise, before—

“Yes,” she finally answers.

“It doesn’t matter, I’ll manage.”

Azula sighs.

After a moment, she turns back to the stage.

“She’s—” she gestures vaguely at the stage, “—third from the right?”

Toph screws up her eyes, and digs her toes into the velvet beneath them.

Azula looks at her for a long moment before turning back to the stage.

“Yeah,” Toph finally says. “I’ve got nothing.”

Azula snorts.

“I know you can’t tell right now,” Azula says drily, “but I’m wearing my surprised face.”

“Wow, was that a blind joke?” Toph’s hand flutters to her chest. “I’m so proud.”

Azula makes a face and Toph cackles.

“So, how is she?”

“Not dancing right now.”

Toph looks pointedly at her.

“She’s perfect, of course.”

She pauses.

“I am offended that you’d think I would ever associate with anything less.”

Toph snorts.

“You associate with Aang.”

“I do not associate with Aang,” Azula immediately counters. “Aang associates with me.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Aang is also an excellent airbender, even if I hate everything else he could ever possibly do ever.”

Toph snorts again, and the stage before them begins to clear.

Azula’s eyes follow a single figure off of the stage before turning back to Toph.

“Now you look at me,” Toph comments idly. “Should I be jealous?”

“I’m not entirely convinced you’re capable of the emotion.”

Toph ponders this for a moment.

“I _am_ the best that has ever been.” She pauses, then adds, “In every possible way.”

Azula hums.

“What a coincidence,” she says. “So am I.”


	20. Wrapping

 “Toph.”

“Azula.”

“Toph.”

“ _Azula_.”

“Did you break into my house?”

Toph smiles, and shifts the phone against her ear.

“I didn’t have to.”

There is a moment of silence, and on the other end end of the line, there is the soft sounds of Azula’s heels clicking against tile.

“You see, _someone_ —” Toph begins to continue.

“What is it?” Azula interrupts, the sound of her heels coming to a stop.

“You should unwrap it.”

There is another moment of silence, and Toph leans her head back and closes her eyes.

“Should I?”

“You should.”

There is a long pause, before—

“Did you make this?”

Toph pauses, before—

"Yeah."

Another pause.

"You, uh," Toph finally says. "Do you like it?”

Toph draws a ball of stone from the table before her, and—

“You made me a scale replica of Oxford.”

“Only the interesting parts.”

“You made me a scale replica of the interesting parts of Oxford.”

“Well—”

Toph closes her hand around the stone ball, kneading it in her palm.

“Well, yeah.”

There is a long moment of silence, before—

“I like it,” Azula decides.

Toph smiles, and pushes the stone pyramid in her hand back into her table.

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to need your help moving it.”

Azula leans over the tiny city, hands carefully held behind her back.

“Yeah?” Toph repeats.

“Yes,” Azula says, leaning over to glance at the stone base. “I am fond of my back, and don’t really want to break it.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay.”

A faint smile colors Azula’s lips, and she straightens, taking several careful steps back before turning away.

“Where do you want me to move it?”

Azula plucks the large blanket from the floor and folds it neatly before laying it on her kitchen table.

“How long are you planning on keeping me waiting?”

Toph snorts.

“You want it in your bedroom, don’t you?”

Azula hums in response, but doesn’t deny it.

“So you can view my masterpiece whenever you open your eyes,” Toph sing-songs into the phone.

Azula continues to her stone counter and leans over it.

“And maybe even when you’re—”

“Are you coming or not?”

Toph snorts.

“I don’t have a car.”

“Hire a chauffeur.”

“You mean call for taxi?”

“Sure.”

Azula leans an elbow against her kitchen counter, and presses her phone against her ear.

“Call me when you get here.”

There is a moment of silence, before—

“Oh, and uh—Happy belated birthday.”

Azula smiles and reaches out a hand towards the small stone flame before her.

“You’re still old.”

Azula plucks the stone flame from the counter, and holds it up to eye-level.

“Call me when you get here,” she repeats.

“Will do,” Toph responds.

Azula sets the stone flame back on the counter, and doesn’t hang up.


	21. Shoes

 "I swear, after I graduate, 'm gonna to move to Jamaica.”

Azula kneels before Toph, and offers her hand.

"No you're not."

Toph doesn’t take it, throwing herself back onto her feet with a practiced motion and jamming the stone cain in her hand against the earth in irritation.

"I'm going to want to."

Azula returns to her feet.

She waits for a moment.

"I'm sure the season winter is quivering in fear."

Toph stabs at the ground some more.

"It should."

Toph continues to stab at the ground, and the ground begins to shake.

"Toph, stop.”

Toph doesn't.

After a moment, Azula drops her eyes to where the earth ripples around the point of Toph’s cane.

Toph finally makes an irritated noise, and stops.

Azula opens her mouth, then closes it.

"Are you finished?" she finally asks, offering Toph her arm.

Toph makes a strangled noise, before huffing out an irritated breath and taking it.

With a flick of her fingers, she collapses her cane back into a pebble and shoves it into her jacket pocket.

After a moment, Azula covers Toph's gloved hand with her own.

They stand in silence for a moment, before—

“Do you want to go back home?”

“No.”

Toph tightens her fingers around Azula’s arm.

“Okay,” Azula says, blowing out a long stream of white into the air above them.

There is another long moment of silence before—

“Shoes suck,” Toph declares.

Azula glances down at Toph’s boots before glancing back up at Toph.

“I rather like them,” she says, eyes flickering briefly down at her own heels before looking back at Toph.

“It’s such a waste,” Toph complains idly, blind eyes staring blankly before them. “You could be barefoot right now, but you have elected to wear shoes instead.”

Azula glances at the curb uninteresting stretch of sidewalk Toph’s gaze is focused on before turning her gaze back to Toph.

Toph huffs, and then coughs out a chuckle.

“You should take your shoes off,” she says, turning back to Azula’s general direction with a smirk. “So I can live vicariously through you.”

Azula meets Toph’s gaze, and opens her mouth.

She then glances down at her feet, before glancing back up at Toph.

“Okay, fine.”

“Wait, really?”

Azula extracts her arm from Toph’s grip, and leans down to remove her heels.

“Seriously?” Toph asks again.

“You carry my heels,” Azula says, ignoring her and throwing her heels in Toph’s general direction as she removes them.

“Yeah, okay,” Toph says, snagging them out of the air.

Azula straightens.

“There,” she says.

“Happy?”

Toph retrieves her cane from her coat and taps it around Azula’s feet.

“I’m still wearing shoes, so—”

Azula squirms her feet in the stone beneath her before turning to the sky and blowing a steady stream of white steam into the air above her.

With another exhale, she turns her gaze back to Toph.

“Yeah,” Toph finally says returning her cane to a pocket, and transferring Azula’s shoes to her right hand, “Yeah, I’m happy.”

Azula offers her her arm, and nods.

“Good,” she says.

After a moment, she adds—

“I’m glad.”

Beneath them, her feet squirm against the pavement and steam rises silently from the damp cobblestones.

“Can I get you to do this all winter long?” Toph asks as she takes Azula’s arm and they begin walking again.

Azula snorts as Toph kicks at the earth and a sharp rock flattens itself into the earth before her.

“Not a chance.”


	22. Go

 "Go."

Azula eyes Toph dubiously.

"Go," Toph repeats, jabbing her finger at what is not quite the window. "Do the thing," she adds helpfully.

Azula looks up at Toph.

Toph turns to look down at Azula.

"Come on," Toph whines.

Azula glances down at Toph's booted feet.

"I'm not some—"

She glances over at the wall.

"Lighter,"she finishes lamely.

Toph cackles.

"You are, though."

Azula glares up at her.

Toph continues to stare just over Azula's left shoulder.

"Take your boots off, Toph," she says with a huffing laugh, kicking her heels into a corner and striding across the room.

Toph doesn't, stomping heavily after her.

"It's cold," she complains, pasting herself to Azula's back when she comes to a stop before the fireplace.

"The floor of my apartment is literally concrete."

Azula snorts.

“That’s entirely your fault.”

"Look," Toph continues after a moment. "I can see my breath."

She blows it in Azula’s face.

Azula shakes the mist Toph blew in her face away before turning to glare at Toph as Toph laughs at her own joke.

"You're staring at my lips, aren't you?"

Azula turns back to the fireplace.

"No."

"It's okay," Toph soothes, rubbing blindly at wherever her hands can reach. "I have sexy lips."

Azula plucks one of Toph's hands from her chest and drops it to her waist.

"I have sexy everything, actually."

Toph pauses.

“Has anyone told you how lucky you are recently?”

“I’m done,” Azula says, straightening.

Before her a bright blue fire burns in the hearth.

Toph side-eyes Azula.

“You’re not lying to me are you?”

She shoves her face further over Azula’s shoulder, leaning them both towards the fireplace.

“That sounds like something you would do.”

“No it doesn’t.”

Toph pauses for a moment before—

“You’re right,” she says. “It doesn’t.”

Toph leans them back and un-glues herself from Azula's back.

Azula makes her way to the couch, but hesitates before sitting on it, glaring down at it distastefully.

“Don’t set my couch on fire, Azula.”

“Did you turn on the heat?” she asks, turning to face Toph.

Toph turns to face her, and makes a pitiful face.

“It was so—”

Azula makes an irritated noise in the back of her throat, and makes her way around the couch to the thermostat.

She flicks it on, and turns to face Toph.

“I’m so lonely,” Toph complains from where she is sprawled across the couch, coat, gloves and boots strewn on the ground around her, arms and feet lifted into the air.

“Also, cold.”

She shivers.

“I may have taken my coat off prematurely.”

Azula makes her way back to the couch.

“If only I had my own personal—”

Toph hooks a leg around Azula and drags her onto the couch.

“Heater,” she finishes, smiling down at Azula.

Azula glances down at the leg wrapped around her waist before setting her hands on it.

“I’m not a heater,” she says blandly.

Toph makes grabbing motions up at Azula until she lays herself down beside her.

She grins.

“You are, though.”

**Author's Note:**

> That's all, folks. Thanks for sticking with this story until its rather abrupt and unsatisfying end.
> 
> I may in the future add to this story if inspiration for these two ever strikes me again, but for now it is complete.
> 
> Thanks for reading.


End file.
